Myanmar's ruling junta says election will provide path to peace as polls open - but opponents criticise 'sham' vote

Since seizing power by force nearly five years ago, Myanmar's ruling military junta has imprisoned thousands of its opponents - most notably Aung San Suu Kyi, the last democratically elected leader.

Yangon is Myanmar's beating heart. The bustle of busy market stalls and sight of glittering Buddhist monuments are a vision of the country those in power want the world to see.

The ruling military junta has granted the media rare access to some parts of the country in time for the election - a vote it hopes represents a return to normal, restoring civilian rule here for the first time since 2021.

But that notion has been widely criticised.

Tom Andrews, the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on human rights for Myanmar, has dismissed the polls, split into three stages, as "sham elections". Other human rights organisations and governments have also condemned the ballot.